“I don’t need a job. I’m fine where I am.”
“I can pay you five times what you’re making right now.”
“To do what?”
“I’m creating a new position within my company. Kind of like a mentor role for all first-year financial analysts. Life advice, counseling, guidance, that sort of thing.”
“You want to pay me a half million dollars to babysit your new hires?”
He shrugged. “Something like that.”
After thirteen years around his father-in-law, Jake was no longer surprised by the man’s audacity. Money was the center of his entire world. Of course he thought Jake could simply be bought. “That’s ridiculous.”
Lars immediately frowned. “Don’t be a fool, Jake. Sarah is not happy.”
“That’s between us. Not you.”
“Apparently not, since she asked me to do this.”
“So you just made up this position to get me out of coaching?”
“My daughter and granddaughter deserve better.”
“Than being part of a coaching family? Or me?”
“Both,” Lars said without hesitation, eyes narrow, sipping his Scotch.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
Jake felt a surge of anger push to the surface. He resisted the urge to let a few curse words fly and instead left the lounge in a hurry to go find Sarah and Piper. They were in the kitchen eating out of a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
“I’m out of here,” he snapped at Sarah, not hiding his irritation with her.
“Jake, wait,” Sarah responded.
“I’ll go with you, Daddy,” Piper said, hopping up off her kitchen stool.
Piper hustled up to Jake’s side in the hallway, reached out, and took his hand. While Sarah had become more distant during his current losing streak, Jake’s daughter had drawn even closer to him, as if she knew her father needed the extra love and comfort right now. They had a special relationship. He hated that she’d been watching her mom and dad fight more than usual lately. A chasm was growing between her parents, and Jake wasn’t sure how to resolve it. He’d never anticipated it reaching this point. They’d felt so united for most of their marriage. Life was good for them despite the hostility from his father-in-law. But the man was relentless. He was like the devil in Sarah’s ear, constantly telling his daughter she could do better. This was a tug-of-war Jake felt like they’d easily won for more than thirteen years because Sarah was pulling along with him. Together, they were strong. But Sarah had not been pulling as hard lately. Which left Jake feeling betrayed.
“Jake, please, let’s talk about this,” Sarah said, chasing after him.
“Not tonight. Later.”
“You always say that but never want to talk about it later.”
“Sarah, I’m tired. I don’t want to say things I’ll regret.”
Jake walked out the front door with Piper. Sarah was right behind them.
“I’m tired, too, Jake,” Sarah said. “Tired of all of this. That’s why we must talk about it right now. Aren’t you fed up?”
“We’ve been through these tough times before.”
“Yeah, I know, and it never ends. It’s like a vicious cycle. I’m really starting to hate everything about football.”
Sarah wanted to fight tonight. But he didn’t. Not in front of Piper.
“Daddy, your car!” Piper gasped, stopping to stare at the red spray-painted graffiti.
“It’s no big deal.”
“Real nice,” Sarah said, rolling her eyes. “This is exactly my point.”
“Jeez, Dad,” Piper added. “You don’t suck. People suck.”
“Sometimes they do,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”
They both climbed into his Jeep. But this time when Jake turned the key in the ignition, the engine just kept sputtering without ever starting. Then it died altogether. Jake pounded his fist against the steering wheel, feeling so angry about tonight, about the football season, about what had just happened with his father-in-law, and about the dire feeling that his family was slowly falling apart.
Piper reached over, put her small hand on his arm. “Daddy, calm down. It’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” he said. “We just need to let it sit for a second and try again.”
“No, Daddy. I mean everything is going to be okay.”
Jake looked over, stared at his daughter. She gave him a reassuring smile, one that wrinkled up her cute little nose, and he could feel his anger slowly begin to dissipate.